EPAUMC has hired two staff to manage its disaster recovery efforts in communities still struggling to rebound from hurricane-related storms in recent years—namely hurricanes Ida in 2021 and Isaias in 2020. Those efforts—named Project Restoration—are supported by donations from churches and conference members and a $417,000 grant from UMCOR (UM Committee on Relief).

“My goal with this project is to fill in the gap,” said Denise Shelton, a member of Grove UMC who becomes Disaster Recovery Project Director Feb. 15. “We will create connections and find those who are still struggling from home damage to provide the assistance they need and help them thrive.”

She has spent her life “helping others without judgment” and trying to “make a difference in the lives of those around me,” Shelton said. She has done outreach as a volunteer in numerous situations—with activities involving her two children and her church youth group and as a leader and organizer for several church mission work trips.

One trip was to Honduras where her team built 18 latrines in a remote village that had no running water or electricity. Others involved adults and youths working on service projects in Appalachia. Additionally, as the aquatics director for a YMCA, she taught children of low-wealth families about water safety at no cost. Shelton has done community outreach with the Coatesville Area Resource Network and the United Way, agencies she hopes to network with in her new job.

Indeed, Coatesville is one of the hard-hit communities Project Restoration will focus on to help repair or renovate the flood-damaged homes of families, including many who are still displaced. Other affected and still recovering communities include Downingtown, Mont Clare and Eastwick in Southwest Philadelphia, which was devastated by flooding caused by Hurricane Isaias in August 2020.

Helping flood survivors address needs and concerns

Coatesville is home to the Rev. Allen Keller and the place where he first got busy helping neighbors recover from Hurricane Ida’s destructive deluge that poured into low-lying communities in early September 2021. Keller becomes Project Restoration’s Case Manager beginning March 1. He will help flood survivors address various concerns and access needed services and resources.

A deacon since 2015, Keller is engaged in several diverse ministries. He has spent over 40 years doing computer engineering and repair. But he also provides pastoral care to patients, families and staff at Nemours Children’s Hospital, in Wilmington, Del. And after 22 years as a youth pastor and leader at Olivet UMC in Coatesville, he now serves on the UM Church of West Chester’s ministry staff. Moreover, he is an ambassador for the Appalachia Service Project, mentoring groups as they plan and implement mission service trips through ASP.

“The work of a UM Deacon is to carry God’s work beyond the walls of the church into the world,” says Keller, who wants to “combine my passions for home repair and pastoral care to help with flood relief ministry.”

The conference is now seeking to hire a Construction Project Manager to help plan and oversee repairs and renovations to flood-damaged homes by volunteer teams and professional contractors.  

“I rejoice in the passion, giftedness and servant leadership that Denise and Allen bring to Project Restoration,” said the Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm, Director of Connectional Ministries. “”We will continue to serve with EPA churches and the wider community in affected counties, as we recover from Hurricane Isaias and Hurricane Ida. Many families still remain in hotels following Hurricane Ida and there is much work to be done. If you would like to become involved in the recovery effort, please reach out to Denise Shelton at ProjectRestoration@epaumc.org.